| About The Author

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Christopher J Carey was born at 8 Erne Place, Dublin 2, Ireland into a large family comprising six girls and three boys. He was delivered outside his Grandmothers house onto a blanket laid on the cold cobbles of the street. His work is inspired by the rich background of Irish history and the socio-political movements of the present day. Emigrating to England in his teens, he went on a 'roller-coaster ride', taking him through the ghettos of London and Birmingham. Christopher recalls some great memories from his move to Birmingham. One of his memories is meeting Benjamin Zephaniah: “A person whom I fondly remember and feel that I partly influenced to write when he was about 12 or 13 years old is Benjamin Zephaniah; he was a tearaway with a likeable way about him. At the time when I met Benjamin he went under the name of "Springer". We would eat prawns and rice together at Khan's Café in Cheddar Road, Balsall Heath. It was his keen interest in spoken word poetry that initially drew me to him, because at that time I was very interested in the lyrical side and the vibrancy of Jamaican Patois - Patwa. I already had first-hand experience of speaking Patois, because at the time most of my friends in Cheddar Road were of West Indian heritage and it was a vibrant part (along with Handsworth) of a cultural musical movement which attracted a big following. We would sit and eat and I would help him in developing his skill with the rhyming of the English words and turning them into Patois. Without wanting to sound pretentious, I recognised he had the gift and he was just beginning to find his way as a young poet. I encouraged him to pursue his talents and get up on stage at ‘Rupee's Blues’ on Cheddar Road to share his poems. We used to do what was called "toasting." Benjamin was a nice kid and I really enjoyed our interactions. There will be a lot of people who would remember me sitting with him, none more so than Khan and Julie. I would sit with him for ages and give him pretty basic English and advice on rhyming words, though I had only grasped the basics myself. The world needs more like Benjamin. May he rest in peace.”

After mastering the trades of carpenter and joiner, baker and precious metal caster for the antique restoration trade, he finally yielded to his burning desire to write. Christopher's first debut novel When The Hammer Falls was published in 1993 and he has since ventured into playwriting, poetry and spoken word.

Christopher is currently working on his biographical life story titled, Half-in-and Half Out - a reference to his delivery onto the street as his mother arrived in a taxi. The 1993 novel When The Hammer Falls is to be released as a reissue on Apple Books at the end of June 2025 with a new introduction and cover art. In his words, "Love is the only emotion powerful enough to tear down the barriers of hatred and racism. Ignorance is the master of the stone-cold heart."

Shortlisted for The Chairman's Prize Highly Commended Entries, King Lear Prizes 2020 The Wanderer

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Winner of the Young Writers Caltex Competition, Ireland at 11yrs Old

Channel 4 Random Acts 2017

Let Me Show You Mr. Critic is a socio-political, avant garde project that was created for Channel 4's Random Acts with the support of Rural Media. Chris delivers powerful spoken word fused with the experimental music by Xeno, an electronic producer.

Evening Mail October 1993

Interview with Guy O'Sullivan about the release of When The Hammer Falls.

Solihull Times December 1993

Solihull authors were rewarded for a creative writing competition. Chris was invited as a guest judge and handed out the prize to Mrs Phyllis Burton's short story titled, A Night to Remember.